Finding Your Tribe in the Digital Age

🧘‍♀️ Zen Note

Recent studies have analysed Gen Z's struggles in forming adult friendships, due in part to being impacted by the internet and the pandemic. But all generations face challenges in maintaining friendships as life becomes more demanding. However, I have encountered older members of Gen Z who have successfully nurtured online friendships and transformed them into genuine physical relationships.

In speaking with one such remarkable individual, I was reminded that the key to achieving meaningful connections lies in finding common ground with people and being authentic. A general guideline they emphasised was to give as much to people as you receive and to communicate openly when unable to do so. While jumping over several hurdles to enter adulthood may have taken its toll on us, there is a way to move forward. Although it can be difficult to find your tribe, I firmly believe that somewhere in this vast digital space, they exist. You just need to connect.

- Edisana Stephen, Newsletter Editor

🥳 Z Brand Spotlight

OUMAATI is owned and managed by two sisters, Oumama and Naila, who share a passion for leather goods. Established in early 2022, the brand’s mission is to preserve the heritage of Moroccan leather craftsmanship. Through the integration of modern design techniques, Oumaati strives to infuse a contemporary spirit into this age-old art form.

Every product offered by Oumaati is meticulously handcrafted within the confines of a family workshop in Casablanca and under the expert guidance of Maati, the founding sisters’ father and mentor. The sisters draw inspiration from their roots and are fully committed to magnifying Morocco’s cultural riches through Oumaati bags.

📰 In the Press

🌈 30 Tales of Pride [Week III]

🔥 Hot Topics

• Pharrell Williams opens Paris Fashion Week with Louis Vuitton debut collection. (via Hypebeast)

• Topicals’ Olamide Olowe talks about connecting with the Gen Z shopper. (via Business of Fashion)

• How the best brand-influencer partnerships reach Gen Z. (via Harvard Business Review)

• What Gen Z LGBTQ professionals need to know to create the world they want. (via Fast Company)

• Gen Z is the most entrepreneurial and neurodiverse generation in the workplace. (via Essence Magazine)

• Gen Z is breaking down generational trauma in their families. (via YR Media)

• Why Gen Z struggles to make and keep friends. (via New York Post)

• New Gen Z survey reveals scary obsession with surveillance. (via Fox News)

💡 Z-Lang

OOF - a verbal expression of discomfort, stress or sadness.

😮‍💨 Weekenda

• 🎬 Glamorous S1, a Netflix series

The people’s favourite Sex and the City’s Kim Cattrall returns as a makeup industry big shot in this soap-ish workplace series.

• 🎤 Vibe ‘n’ Vend, an event in Lagos, Nigeria

Spend a chill Sunday afternoon shopping, partying and mingling.

• 🪩 Hey Ibiza Wave II, an event in Accra

See the weekend out at this day-to-night party bringing Ibiza vibes to Accra’s coastline.

• 🎧 Boy Alone, a Deluxe album by Omah Lay

This edition of Omah Lay’s debut album includes six new tracks featuring honest, personal melodies, a remix of the earworm ‘Soso’ and international rappers Aitch and Ozuna.

• 📖 Brown Girls, a book by Daphne Palasi Andreades

Relive teendom with this spirited ode to brown girlhood.

• 🖼️ Kaspale, an exhibition by Syowia Kyambi at the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute

Take active part in this wistful reimagining of recent Kenyan history with Kyambi’s anthropomorphized Kaspale sculpture.

The Kengaroo is a weekly newsletter that curates the latest on Gen Z culture in Africa and around the world. Subscribe to be among the first to get the next issue when it’s up.